


Record of Grief

by DatLAG



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Super Dangan Ronpa 2.5
Genre: Angst and Feels, M/M, Past Character Death, Post-Neo World Program (Dangan Ronpa), Post-Super Dangan Ronpa 2, World Destroyer being the best database admin, and post 2.5, i dont know what to tag hjdbchsj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26629570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DatLAG/pseuds/DatLAG
Summary: Nagito finds by pure luck one of Hajime’s “Sensory Cassettes”. A recording of a moment from the Neo World Program from his perspective. Taken by curiosity, he watches it. Turns out it's related to his virtual death.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 6
Kudos: 166





	Record of Grief

**Author's Note:**

> Got this idea randomly at 1AM dhjvfd

The Luckster examined the tape that fell at his feet.

He was strolling along the facility on Jabberwock Island, the real one, getting used to the place while Hajime was finishing his prosthetic (that he insisted on making for him). It was already practically over with, but he needed to make a few more adjustments to better accommodate its new host, now that he had more than a comatose victim in a pod for measurements.

Along his walking, he stumbled into a room full of old tape like looking devices.

And he stumbled again, this time literally against a shelf, leaving one of said tapes to fall to the ground, with the label “Hajime Hinata n°18639”.

Curiosity quickly overtook him, what good luck was it to find something Hajime related so randomly!

Knowing his cycle of luck however, this tape probably contained something that should not be seen. But that only made him more curious.

This reminded him how Hajime explained his luck cycle might be working a bit differently in his presence. As his own luck might cancel or balance Nagito’s, he has apparently a memory of it happening before, however the white haired Lucky Student did not remember that encounter.

But he will trust Hajime’s memory over his own a thousand times over.

Wondering about the tape, he walked to a computer that was on the desk in the room, deep within corridors containing tapes on shelves as far as the eye could see.

Once in front of the machine, he sat on the chair perfectly in front of it. It seemed to be a database: “Sensory Cassettes Database”

He took the mouse in his hand, and weirdly, familiar red square shapes appeared on the screen.

In a monotone artificial tone of voice, this came from the monitor. “Welcome to the Sensory Cassettes Database. Identifying: Nagito Komaeda. Accessed authorized.”

The professional way of talking and the familiar shapes made the Luckster quickly realize who was talking, even if the voice was different.

“Is it the… World Destroyer?” He asked.

The voice answered. “Indeed. After all of my tasks were completed, Master assigned me to guard this database.”

“Master?”

“I am referring to my creator.”

Right, Hajime created him. Apparently he used the base programm of Alter Ego to make this new AI specializing in psycho dives. “Oh that reminds me. Your voice is different from last time I have seen you.”

“Allow me to explain. My tasks back then were to wake up all of you from your comatosis, for this task to be successful, I needed to bring back memories you missed, or reasons one would want to wake up. Similarly to the Observer from the original Neo World Program simulation, I was created as a blank slate, that would take the form of whoever the subject wanted to see the most.”

Nagito drew the obvious conclusion and chuckled.

“Would you like me to take this previous appearance and voice to communicate?”

The white haired man pondered. “Well… I wouldn’t want to impose anything on you, but it would indeed be easier for me.” He did remember the World Destroyer that way, and the robotic artificial voice was starting to send chills down his spine.

“Understood.”

The AI turned silent for a few seconds, and a chibi version of him, at least in his Hajime like appearance appeared in the corner of the screen, surrounded by his trademark red squares.

Now with an Hajime sounding voice, he asked: “What do you need?” Obviously referring to why he was looking in the database.

“Well first of all…” Nagito gestured to the surroundings, sadly since his only hand was on the mouse, it was more like he elbowed the surroundings with his handless limb. “What is all this?”

World Destroyer closed his eyes. “Initiating explanation resumé…” After a few seconds, an image appeared on the screen. This image pictured a schematics representing Neo World Program avatars with arrows pointing towards a tape similar to the one Nagito had put down on the desk. The image filled itself up as the AI started and continued his explanation:

“Avatars are composed of many different types of data. Sensations, memories, thoughts, everything is conserved preciously in the original main frame to assure it will not be lost. However, due to the forced shutdown, plenty of that data has been corrupted. Some were saved thanks to a glitch that allowed Master and the other to remember, the other data was taken down along with you so to speak, and waking you up from your conditions is what allowed the system to find the data again, uncorrupted in your psyches, and save it here. I believe you are in possession of a tape yes? This is a Sensory Cassette, where said data is stored.”

The lucky one let go of the mouse and lifted up the cassette. Admiring the fact it contained so much data.

“Could you show it to me?”

Nagito did just that, waving the cassette’s name and number in front of the computer’s webcam.

“Do you wish to view this tape?”

The white haired man shrugged. “Can I?”

“You are authorized to use this database. You can.”

Nagito stared at the tape. Using this, he would peek inside of Hajime’s head. This felt awfully intrusive. The brunette took in the effort to not monitor the “tasks” of the World Destroyer and not expose his classmates’ perfect world scenarios for the world to see.

But he was still curious as to why his luck would throw this into his lap. So he compromised.

He addressed the AI. “Excuse me? Could you look into this tape beforehand and cut out the inner thoughts?”

“Further explanation needed.”

“I am fine with only seeing and hearing. Peeking into Hajime’s private thoughts would be too much. Also, check if I _can_ see this in the first place. I would hate to be peeking into something too personal.”

“Understood.” A compartiment opened on the side of the computer. It looked like a heavily modified DVD player. “Please insert the Sensory Cassette here.”

The Luckster hummed and gently put the tape in.

The computer’s engine roamed, the AI sat down on the toolbar as a window popped up with a loading screen represented with a Usami head.

While waiting, the Luckster just stared around, admiring the absurd amount of shelves with its just as absurd amount of cassettes.

He heard a beeping noise, indicating the end of the process, and the window was now black with a play icon in the middle. He put on headphones he found lying on the desk with some struggle (it was hard to do even the simplest tasks with one hand), and plugged it into the machine.

As he did so, World Destroyer spoke up. “I would like to give a warning as well.”

“What is it?”

“I cut out the inner thoughts like you had asked me to, and this is something you can view but, it contains images about your... virtual demise so to speak.”

Oh.

The AI continued. “I am obligated to warn you about this, as it could bring unpleasant memories.”

Nagito shrugged. “So a trigger warning huh?” He shook his head. He already somewhat saw those images in his reawakened memories while the World Destroyer was “performing his task”, and while saying it outloud might’ve shocked some, seeing his own bloody corpse wasn’t that scary or traumatizing for him. “It’s alright. And even if it does manage to get to me, I would ask you to stop the video for me.”

“Understood.” The AI nodded. Waiting for the other to play the video.

He hovered the mouse pointer over the play button. So… something related to his virtual death from Hajime’s point of view.

Now his feelings about this gamble back then were… complicated. It was hard for him to really put it into words, but his actions _were_ extreme by his new standards but he could understand his past self's actions after reading his world crumbling down in that file.

But in the end, he was glad he lost that fight.

The survivors defeated his plan and advanced to defeat despair and be reborn as a combination of hope and despair advancing towards their future. They even reached out to their sleeping classmates to carry on with them.

With this hopeful thought, he clicked the play button. Unable to hold his curiosity back.

The first image was a hand reaching out to a doorknob.

It was from the first person view point, but he recognized both that hand and that door. Hajime was opening the warehouse, where Nagito’s virtual existence came to an end. There wasn’t any noise aside from the sound of his sneakers hitting the floor and the creaking of the door.

Once he entered, the fallen down Monokumas, the broken fire grenades and traces of burning told Nagito all he needed to know, this was after that fact. From the lack of voice and other footsteps he could tell the brunette came alone. Said brunette walked into the depths of the warehouse, and the Luckster’s bloody corpse came to view. It was… definitely weird to see his own dead body from another’s eyes even by his standards, but he quickly got over it as Hajime kneeled down next to the body with an audible sigh.

He then looked behind him, confirming he was alone, and dragged his sight over the corpse, letting out another sigh.

“I know I’m talking to a corpse but listen up. I need to get this stuff off my chest somehow.” Hajime commanded. “After… all that talk about wanting to kill or be killed, and all your tricks and manipulation…” He looked behind him again, murmuring “Dammit why am I doing this..?” He looked back at the corpse. “I… don’t think anyone is going to mourn you…”

The Luckster felt the sentence sting. He already knew that was the case back then, after all he had been unpleasant to deal with in those times, no wonder no one would miss him.

Hajime continued. “We were all devastated when the others… passed away… But there was always someone that would honor them, like Hiyoko’s autel, or Fuyuhiko fighting for Peko’s sake…”

There was a tight sound, like gritted teeth, it was obvious he was trying to gather his thoughts together.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to die alone…? You said you were lying, but if you were I wouldn’t have completed your Hope Fragements and stupid E-Handbook chart. So why-”

He took a deep breath and a hand covered his sight, he was probably facepalming.

“Damnit after all this time I _still_ don’t get you…” 

He let his hand fall.

“You were a manipulator… practically a murderer… a creep… And a fucking pain in the ass. You were annoying, cryptic, and just talking to you made me feel sick sometimes. But...”

He put his other hand over his face.

“But I didn’t want this… I didn’t want you to die! Especially like-” He gestured to the wounds. _“This!”_

The Luckster felt a heartache, he clutched his shirt.

“I couldn’t even believe it at first… You were like… this cockraoch that would always squeeze by with some stupid tricks or your stupid luck…”

He grit his teeth again.

“Why did it have to end like this!? I have so many questions I wanted you to answer!” 

He looked at the ground, averting his eyes from the corpse.

His voice was cracking.

“Dumbass… You kept teasing me into shit, you were always so weird when talking to me, I thought one day I could understand… I could just… get it and stop there. Get some kind of conclusion…”

The sight went lower, the brunette crawled into a ball.

“But you just _had_ to get yourself killed. You just _had_ to. Didn't you, you jerk…”

There was the inner sound of swallowing, and Hajime took some seconds to compose himself. He looked back at the dead body.

“So… Even so… I don’t know if this counts but… even if no one is going to mourn you…”

He took a deep breath.

“I’ll remember you. And… I guess…”

He crawled closer to Nagito’s face, and passed his hand over the dead Luckster’s eyes, closing them.

“I’ll... kinda miss you.”

And the video stopped.

The heartache was unbearable now. It hurt so much he could feel tears build up.

The Lucky Student expressed his wish to be remembered after his death to Hajime before, but he assumed after everything, and mostly being extremely unpleasant to him and the others, everyone would try their best to forget him. Even though he somewhat knew it was wrong, as they reached out to him to save him from his coma, still.

Hajime tried to grant his wish back then. Even with his resentment towards him.

He felt touched, blessed even. He was amazed back then Hajime would even give him the time of day, even more spending time with him on his own volition, but _this…_

His chest ached and warmed itself up.

He already knew his feelings were gone way beyond anything he imagined he could have felt for the brunette, but even so, Hajime still found a way to burn his heart down even further.

He could only laugh.

“How… kind.”

He murmured as he wiped the liquid in his eyes with his sleeve.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea of the World Destroyer calling his creator master just like Alter Ego since its said that he's a modified Alter Ego, so they would have some stuff in common.  
> Also yes, I have this HC that the World Destroyer looked like Hajime in Nagito's world for the same reason the Observer was Chiaki, because he missed him and wanted to see him. It's not confirmed, but not denied either so sue me gdhjcd  
> And yes Trigger Warning is not just some "oh you might get offended" warning but actual term to warn people who had bad experiences that a subject might bring back some painful memories.  
> Something really touching about Hajime's character that I don't see talked about often, is that he feels bad for the murderers and wants to grant their final wishes. Like making sure the Hanamura Dinner is ok once he leaves for Teruteru, finding out who is Mikan's beloved, living on to honor Gundham's sacrifice... So it would only make sense for him to grant Nagito's wish of wanting to be remembered.  
> Also, Hajime likes to understand things, so he would definitely be frustrated at Nagito up and dying on him without answers to his behavior. And as much as he is a tsundere, Monokuma was right in saying they were friends, and who wouldn't be sad after a friend died?  
> Also i need more fics from Nagito's POV after/during 2.5. It's during that time he comes to accept the fact he cared for Hajime not as a symbol of hope nor hated him for being talentless but in the end he liked him as a guy. I know I didn't really tackle this, because I aint good enough to write it, but i need more of that stuff jdfhbsdj  
> Anyways, I hope you anjoyed!


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